Sinus medication applicator



Dec. 6, 1949 Q A, STRAUSS 2,490,168

r SINUS MEDICATION APPLICATOR A Filed Feb. 2l, 1947 1N vEN'I-OE Osa/14e ,i 577x455 A'I'TEN EYE Patented Dec. 6, 179-49 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in sinus medication applicators.

It is a primary object of the invention to provide novel and improved means for ensuring the application of medication to remote cavities and passages such as the sinuses.

More particularly stated, it is proposed to provide a long, thin applicator sufficiently flexible to follow the convolutions of the bodily passages, but suiciently rigid so that it may be propelled through such passages, said applicator having, at least at its forward end, and preferably over a considerable portion of its length, an absorbent, external ply capable of holding and delivering medication to the aiected areas, the applicator preferably being tubular and having lateral apertures opening into the absorbent padding by which the medication is distributed.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of one embodiment of my invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail view in section fragmentarily illustrating the forward end of the applicator shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view in transverse section through the device of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a view in axial section through a modified and preferred type of applicator.

Referring, rst, to the applicator shown in Figs. 1 to 3, this device comprises a stem portion 5 preferably made of rubber of carefully predetermined flexibility. As indicated in my statement of objects, the rubber should be sufficiently rigid to enable the medicated head B to be propelled through the passages leading to the sinus, but the stem must nevertheless be sufficiently flexible to readily follow the convolutions of such passages.

The head 6 preferably comprises a porous or spongy body, sponge rubber being preferred. The type of sponge rubber used is not that in which the cells are sealed off from each other, but is the type in which there are openings through the spongy mass from the interior to the exterior. The spongy head 6 is preferably molded completely around the end of the stem 5.

The stem 5 is preferably tubular and in addition to communicating with the spongy head at 5 through its end, it may be provided with any desred number of lateral openings at l. The form 2 of the spongy head 6 is preferably that of a teardrop or ellipsoidal body so that it will readily guide itself through the bodily channels with a minimum of resistance. For different specific uses, the mass or thickness of the sponge head 6 outside of the stem 5 may be varied.

The spongy head 5 may either be dipped in medication prior to its insertion into the patients nasal passages, in which case it acts to swab all of the surfaces traversed, or it may contain, at the time of introduction, absorbed lubricant which will facilitate its movement through the passages, the medication being introduced later through the tubular stem 5 when the head reaches the point to which it is desired to deliver such medication. A third and preferred alternative is to incorporate the lubricant in the medicating solution, absorbing some of the medicating and lubricating solution in the spongy head 6 prior to the introduction of the head into the patients nasal passages and later delivering an additional quantity of the medicant alone or the medicant and lubricating solution through the tube to the surface of the head 6.

Instead of providing so pronounced a head at 6, while leaving the rest of the tubular stem exposed, I prefer, in actual practice, to use the construction shown in Fig. 4 in which the stem 8 is tubular and comparatively elongated and is provided for quite a substantial portion of its length with the lateral apertures 'l opening into a spongy sheath at 9, preferably comprising the same sort of material as that used to make the head 6, but distributed in a thin layer along the surface of the tube for a substantial part of the length thereof. The preferred embodiment of the invention may be used in any of the several ways disclosed above.

While fabric or cotton or natural sponge may be used, among other materials, to make up the alternative forms of absorbent heads herein disclosed, it is preferred from the standpoint of sanitation, convenience and economy to use natural or synthetic rubber sponge.

I claim:

1. A sinus medication applicator comprising a rubber tube suliiciently rigid to facilitate its propulsion through a nasal passage into a patients Sinus and sufficiently iexible to readily follow the convolutions' of such a passage, said rubber tube being provided at least at its forward end REFERENCES CITED with a, porous head 0f sponge material into which The following references are of record in the said tube opens. le of this patent:

2. The device of claim 2 in which such head 5 comprises an ellipsoidal body of sponge rubber. UNITED STATES PATENTS 3. The device of claim 2 in which such head Number Name Date comprises a thin tubular sheath of sponge rubber 523,022 Johnson Apr. 11, 1899 enveloping the end and a substantial portion of 982,232 Bartholomew Jan. 24, 1911 the side of said stem, the stem having outlet 10 2,170,222 Strauss Aug. 22, 1939 ports substantially throughout the length of said FOREIGN PATENTS l Number Country Date OSCAR A. sTRAUss. 12,137 Great Britain of 1888 sheath. 

